Air Purifier Acronyms – Stripping Out The Tech Jargon

Been looking around to buy an Air Purifier? You’ve no doubt come across a lot of acronyms.

It’s so frustrating. You need to understand what the acronyms stand for and what they mean. So you can compare the competing claims of the manufacturers and websites. And sort out what’s important and what’s marketing fluff.

Here’s where your frustration comes to an end. Listed below is every acronym I’ve found in my research on air purifiers. If it’s not on the list, it’s not relevant to your decision making.

The explanation for each acronym is as simple as possible. So you can get to its essential meaning. Plus, there’s an explanation on why it is or is not significant when narrowing down your choice of unit.

It’s important to know the acronyms only relate to portable Air Purifiers. Those sold to clean air inside a home or small office area. There is different terminology that relates to industrial and office air cleaning. That’s not for us.

When we use the term “Air Purifier” we’re also referring to “Air Cleaners”. Some manufacturers and websites use the term “Air Cleaner” when referring to their product. It’s confusing, isn’t it. Just know the two mean the same thing. The terms are interchangeable.

Here’s the acronym list in alphabetic order. Jump straight to the acronym by clicking in the table.

ACH – Air Changes Per Hour

ACH refers to how many times in an hour that an air purifier exchanges the air in a room.

The rate is relevant only in the context of the size of a room and the fan speed setting. When you see an ACH quoted, you need to know the size of room and fan speed used to make the calculation. Knowing these will help you decide if it’s suited to your situation.

An organization founded in 1901. Its membership includes hardware producers, manufacturers’ agents, and industry trade publications. Headquartered in the US. They’re all about the manufacture of products for related sectors of the economy. Hardware and home improvement, lawn, and garden, paint and decorating.

CFM – Cubic Feet per Minute

Refers to how many cubic feet per minute flow through the filtering system in the air purifier.

The theory is the higher the CFM of a unit; the better the purification process will be.

But other factors impact the effectiveness of air flow from a unit. Including placement in the room, the positioning of furniture, and insulation. And the quality and speed of purification are more than just a function of air flow. Other key determinants are the volume of pollutants in the air and the type of filtration process.

You shouldn’t just look at CFM when buying an air cleaner. And sometimes you can’t even consider it. Because it’s not always included in the list of specifications.

dBA or dBA or dB(a) – A-weighted decibel

dBA is a particular measurement of sound. dBA levels are “A” weighted. The weighting curves approximate how the human ear hears or perceives sound. The curves attempt to account for how sensitive the ear is to varying frequencies of sound.

Many regulations specify noise limits by dBA levels. Making it a better measure. Because it’s believed dBA correlates closer to the relative risk of noise-inducing hearing loss.

It rates as having a minimum particle collection efficiency of 99.97%. For particles 0.3 microns in diameter. A standard of efficiency set by the United States Department of Energy (DOE).

Certification of meeting the HEPA standard results from testing by independent testing laboratories.

Be careful if you see descriptions “99% HEPA” or “HEPA-type” or “HEPA-like”, or “HEPA-style.” Or something similar. Most likely these products lack independent testing and don’t meet the DOE standard. It means they will not be as effective in filtering air.

MCS – Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

The symptoms can include fatigue, dizziness, headache, etc. They are often vague in their description and unverifiable. But are real and can be life-limiting.

Yet MCS is not recognized by medical authorities as an illness. Medico’s may describe the symptoms as “idiopathic environmental intolerance”. “Idiopathic” is another way of saying the cause is unknown. And that the processes little understood.

The symptoms do happen with exposure to high or low levels of chemicals. Hence the inclusion of the word in the phrase. But it’s more than just chemicals. Other causes attributed are tobacco smoke, perfume, and new carpet. And there are much more identified as possible causes yet are not proven.

Air purifiers do remove a range of physical and gaseous pollutants which could cause MCS. But no claim is possible to say they are successful in treating MSC. Not only are there no reliable diagnostic tests, but there are also no proven treatments.

Describes occupants of a building or area of a building suffering adverse health effects. The presumption is because of time spent in the building. But the actual cause or specific illness is unidentifiable.

There are umteen factors that can contribute to SBS. Buying an air purifier addresses some of these factors e.g. VOC’s, mold growth, etc. But you need to be sure of the cause before spending your money.

VOC’s – Volatile Organic Compounds

Wikipedia describes VOC’s. As “organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary room temperature”. And that “their high vapor pressure results from a low boiling point”.

It means at a boiling point many molecules separate from the compound and enter the air. It doesn’t matter whether they’re liquid or solid. And we breathe that air.

But their impact on us depends on how concentrated the VOC’s are in the air.

In typical situations, concentrations are highest indoors. And in the main, man-made. They are covered by regulations. But regulations don’t eradicate them. What complicates the situation is that often they are not immediately toxic or noticeable. There could be low concentrations and symptoms that are slow in developing. And it is the long-term exposure that has adverse impacts on our health.

If you know, VOC’s are a risk then test for them. Remove the source if you can and look for a purifier that removes VOC’s.

UV – Ultra Violet

Ultra Violet in the air purifier context refers to ultraviolet light.

Ultraviolet light is a type of electromagnetic radiation. It’s invisible to the naked eye. It’ll give you a tan in summer, but prolonged exposure damages your skin and any living tissue. Studies prove UV destroys the DNA of viruses, mold, spores, germs, fungi and bacteria.

There are purifiers with UV light filters installed that claim to clean the air in your home. But air needs trapping and exposure to a concentrated UV light for long enough to destroy the DNA. Many residential purifiers process air much too fast for the UV light to work. Others have a light that is lacking in power. The result is nothing changes. In effect, air draws in and vents out with close to the same level of contamination.

Check out in detail the specifications of a UV purifier before you take this option.